Ok, I Feel Better Now. Let Me Elaborate (TW Long Ass Rant Holy Shit)

Ok, I feel better now. Let me elaborate (TW long ass rant holy shit)

S1-7 Kai is very much the embodiment of asshole. He easily angers, lacks self-control, rarely listens to his team, and has an ego the size of Jupiter. In later seasons, we see that his ego is used to cover up that he is extremely insecure, and his anger issues come from the fact that he never got the chance to properly regulate them, since he never really had any role models to learn it from.

S7 is when it really shows, in my opinion. You can see his spiral when he realizes that the people he idolized (his parents) are most definitely working for the time twins, and who does he take It out on? Nya, and everyone else. He's irritable, snappy, and rarely engages with anyone.

When Kai meets his father, his facade drops. You can see who he actually blames for this, and it's him. He's angry and upset that he ever missed his parents in the first place and that the people he desperately wanted to come back turned out to be "evil." When it turns out they were forced to work for them, he's in shock. You can tell in the continuing episodes, too. He's more quiet, spaces out, and is obvious he's thinking about his actions up to that point.

S8 is where things get better for him, and it's so nice to see. He smiles way more, is more open to let other people take the lead, and even when he gets "angry," it's a slight touch artificial. When I first watched this season, I was upset. Kais insecure attitude made him interesting and compelling, but seeing him happy and enjoying the skin he's in? It was a genuinely nice change.

This is why DR is one of my fav ninjago iterations. Everyone is so different, yet the same.

Lloyd is so.. mature, but so insecure he might crumble at the slightest pressure.

Nya is incredible, but she went through her 4th divorce, her brother almost died, and she's drained.

Zane is tired of the violence and wants to stay home more bless him.

Jay is evil and a wife beater (LOL).

I don't even know what Cole is doing. He's married to a homeless dude and adopted his children.

And Kai is.. stable. Like, really stable. He regulates his anger properly, has a student that he sees as a daughter, helps Lloyd to the best of his ability, LISTENS TO HIS TEAM??? His ego isn't even ego anymore it's deserved confidence, learned dragon rising technique FIRST, and is an all-around great guy. Sure, he's still a feral little dude, but in a sweet way.

And holy shit, don't get me started on Wyldfyre.

Wyldfyre is Kai’s carbon copy. I don't have to elaborate. But the way he.. helps her? It's made me tweak more times than I'd like.

He's patient, knows how to match her energy, and instead of outright denying her methods, he encourages them in a safe and healthy way. The whole spiel they had during the stealth thing in Imperium was incredible. Instead of asking her to outright stop making noise, he directed it into her still being annoying, but quieter.

AGH my heart. I bet he had weekly therapy sessions after crystallized. (I HATE THAT FUCKING SEASON)

I like how Kai is mentally healthy

WOAHAHOAHHOO WAIT LEMME EXPLAIN BEFORE YOU 🔥🔥🔥AHHHH🔥🔥🔥